[Michelle]

I’VE JUST COME ACROSS THIS SITE FOR THE FIRST TIME AND I FEEL SOOOO RELIEVED READING THESE COMMENTS…I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS HELL

i’ve never been a good test taker…..but this takes the cake…i studied for 3 months for audit …not everyday but pretty consistently….i even went back to review the entire book again. I had done all the homework TWICE…read…lectures…memorized…you name it. I thought i understood the material and memorized it and just knew it for the most part….When i was taking the exam and thoroughly reading the questions, my mnemonics popped into my head, i just felt like i knew it… and i felt confident i knew the right answers. i walked out not feeling totally confident, but just better than how i’ve felt for my past exams.

To make this short because i feel helpless, lost, useless, and incompetent…will there ever be a chance for me to pass if my scores are in the 40’s? I got a 42 on audit…and 48 in FAR…TWICE

and is anyone else taking Roger’s?? i dont think i’ve seen anyone mention his review course…that’s what currently taking….

please anyone, what am i doing completely entirely wrong? i don’t know what to do…i dont want to give up…esp the time, effort, money, etc EVERYTHING i put into this… I know i am not 100% stupid…but this score…is telling me something else

[NoScores2Display4thisSection]

Yes. Because the people at this site have some good ideas and can help you pass. Because it has nothing to do with how smart you are. You just need to figure out what you're doing wrong and make some changes

What review course(s) have you been using? Roger? What works for one person may do very little for the next. You may want to try some of the other review courses others have been suggesting (Becker, Yaeger, Wiley, etc)

done

[Michelle]

thank you so so much for the reply…i am also thinking that too…i thought it was purely up to you and how you study…

but 42…scoring in the low 40's is pretty unbelievable at this point..and my finish line is nowhere to be seen….i'm scheduled to take REG next saturday and in no way prepared but just purely taking it because it expires the day of…i mistakenly/stupidly paid for exams two at a time then all at once…which NOW after a year and a half later i'm only scheduling/paying for one at a time

i will definitely be reading everything i can to learn how to study differently, because obviously my method in no way is working

[Anonymous]

@hippo: You are definitely not in this alone! I've seen people with similar scores to yours and with hard work and persistence, they do manage to get through these exams.

As for Roger, there are several people on the forum who use that course and speak highly of it but you need to see what suits your study style. For instance, if you have been out of college for several years and are not very thorough with your accounting concepts, then a teaching course like Yaeger might work for you. On the other hand, if you feel like you need only a review/brush up of these concepts, Becker might work better. You can see all these demos on their respective websites and that might help you choose the course suited to you better.

The CPA exams test a lot of things besides just pure theory – everything from basic time management skills to how you manage stress is somewhere down tested in this exam. Also, every exam has a very different studying style than the other. For example, I think that in FAR the details are not tested much but the sheer volume of material is intense. On the other hand, REG has been brutal with the details.

If you feel you need help in making a schedule and developing a proper approach toward the next exam you plan to take, feel free to reach out to me at deepananwani@gmail.com. I'm more than happy to help out in the best way I can 🙂

[Michelle]

Oh my gosh Deepa, reading your comment…you have noo idea how much that helps…after receiving my pathetic score last night for audit…every small hope i had for passing the CPA exam was literally sucked out of me…i sat and bawled in my car because i felt so defeated and hopeless.

thank you so much for your offer to help, i appreciate it soo much you have no idea…but after i take my REG exam next saturday (which i'm not even prepared for, only taking it bc it expires day of) i plan on taking a break because i feel as if i am getting nowhere for the past year and a half…

once i do begin studying again i will be sure to contact you to receive any help/guidance in any way possible because obviously i am doing something very very wrong.

thank you again for your comment

[Joey J]

Michelle, you can definitely do it. I passed BEC, REG and FAR pretty easily on the first attempt, but got failing middle scores on AUD. Twice! And I studied too, so there is no excuse. I thought I was hot stuff like other top scorers after the first three exams, then reality set in. We all have our weaknesses that we need to work on, so don't feel bad. I did for a bit, but got over it. We are not all superhuman. The bottom line is that this is what happens sometimes, and you have to change plan, study tactics and get as much feedback as possible, which is what you are doing. I would just say practice as many problems as possible after finishing all readings, lectures and taking notes on such. Review notes and practice as many problems as possible. It will fortify the concepts, as long as you are really learning the material, not just memorizing the answers to the sample questions. It will take work, but you can do it. And that's not even a pep talk, it's a fact. For me, I know plenty of people that scored in the 90's on AUD, and I scored in the low 60's. I know those people aren't that much smarter than me, or not smarter at all. It's their sweet spot though, and it's not mine. So, what needs to happen is you need to work on it. As do I. So let's do it together and nail this sucker. Deal??

[Michelle]

I CANT BELIEVE HOW AMAZING THIS FORUM IS!!! THE WONDERFUL REPLIES THAT I AM GETTING INSTANTLY!!!

I APPRECIATE IT SOO MUCH OMG!! you have no idea how awful, defeated, and just the worst things you can imagine…i had a meltdown last night after i saw my score at the library while studying for REG (yes, def not a good idea)

i am one of the very very few..actually probably only 2 people i know that are currently studying for the CPA exam…and he's passed reg, audit, and bec….he encourages me…but its just not the same

my scores being in the 40's is pretttty down there….i really dont know how else to study at this point, i thought every time i studied an took an exam..i had a slight different approach to studying…but i guess results truly show

but i will most definitely take everyone's input and apply as much as i can and i truly appreciate everyone commenting me back

thank you so much

i curse myself for not finding this forum sooner.

[Anonymous]

We all have Jeff to thank for this wonderful forum! 🙂 And yes, feel free to reach out to me whenever you're ready to start this process again.

As for your REG exam, it may seem unrealistic right now, but I do believe that if you really really push yourself this one week you might come out with better results than you would expect! 75+ or not, give it your absolute best shot so that its easier the next time round (if at all).

[Joey J]

hey, incidentally, what are you doing the CPA for? are you trying to get into auditing? reporting? controller? other? think critically through the reasons you want the CPA for, and what you are willing to live with if you don't achieve it (that's not meaning to discourage you, it's what I do too). I am in mergers, acquisitions and turnaround consulting and advisory practice. I do a lot of public and private company valuation and strategy work, but not around CPA-type work. I am doing the CPA to earn credibility with the CFO office of my clients (current and future). It's a good resume adder for the work I do. But not crucial. However, I will want badly to pass the sucker. So I intend to. But since auditing is not really anywhere near my forte (I have zero training in it, and also do not have an accounting undergraduate degree, which really is a disadvantage compared to many people taking the exam), I need to work harder at it. And judging from my scores, I need to work MUCH harder at it than a lot of my peers. So that is what I plan to do. If any section is not really your forte, just work at it. Very very hard. And after giving it fair and reasonable attempts trying your very best and it's still not working out, just be honest about it, and don't fret about it. You may not be the greatest at finance and accounting concepts, but can be amazing at many other things. It's just the sweet spot you have. But enough of that talk! You don't want to hear that now! We have examinations to pass, so buckle up and let's get to it!

[Joey J]

Hey Deepa, I may be reaching out to you for AUD as well! LOL! I need all the help I can get on it!

[Anonymous]

@Joey : Any time! 🙂 More than happy to help! 🙂

[JamaicaBro]

Hey Guys.

I just wanted to give some words of encouragement, I am 43 and took 9 months to pass all parts. My background is BS in Accounting and MS in IT. I passed all on the first attempt.The thing is all four papers require different approaches for study , review and exam technique. I found FAR the easiest to study for but got my lowest grade in FAR. Why, it was my first exam and I used Becker. When I noticed all the tricky questions , just a date can change the answer , I went into the exam taking my time making sure I didnt rush through the and make mistakes on the MCQ. So I think I did well on the MCQs , but guess what, I ran out of time in my second SIM, ( 2010 Format). But I knew that the written sections are an easy 10 points , so I did those first in both SIMS then went on to the other tabs. Scored an 86. The point I am making is that you can know the material and possibly be rushing through the questions and missing the tricks and also not managing your time. My second exam was BEC and I agree the material is all over the place and the IT material needs to be updated as it is outdated and gave me trouble as I am like that is so 20 years ago. What I also suggest is that u also use the Internet for a topic that you may be having trouble with. Sometimes the explanation in the review material is brief and I supplement that with materials from the Internet .

I agree that Audit is tricky , but it also approach , the material seems easy but you do have to memorize some sections and that will be evident when you start doing the review and pass master questions ( becker ). For me the most difficult section was REG , partially because I am not from the US so this was all new to me. It was also my last paper so I was also putting as lot of pressure on myself to just get this done. But If you do fail just look at where you are getting answers wrong in the review material and before you go into exam , make sure you are comfortable with ALL the material as you have no idea what topics will be heavily tested and every exam is different.

But do not give up if it is something that you really want just get rid of the any distractions and go for it , once you get a passing score on the first one it does boost your confidence. Good luck

FAR 86

BEC 92

AUD 98

REG 92

[rknight21]

jamaica bro…. hey congrats on your grades… I am a jamaican too living in NYC and passed my first exam this pass week. I see we will have something in common because REG will also be my last exam next year may, i am doing my masters and the CPA at the same time so i have to space them out.

and you are absolutely correct all sections will take a bit of tweaking in the way you study. I am studying for BEc now and it is a 180 from studying for AUD.

[Im the Batman]

I got a 48 last summer in AUD and recently just passed with a 91, so it's definitely possible.

[ROACH]

@Batman what exactly did you do differently the second time vs the first time taking AUD? What materials did you use btw?

BEC: 66 | 69 | 7/23/2013
AUD: 8/28/2013
REG:
FAR:

[Joey J]

Im the Batman: how did you do that? going from 48 to 91 on AUD? I need to know, because I scored in the 60's on the last two tries using Becker, but have passed the other three sections handily. I guess I am not paying close enough attention to tricks and details. I need to improve my score a lot next time. What are your suggestions? More detail in your response, the better for me!!

[Author]

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